In the Superior Court of Appling County on January 18, in the case The State of Georgia vs. Jonathan Kyle Courson, an Appling County Grand Jury indicted Jonathan Courson on eight separate counts including malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, making a false statement, tampering with evidence, reckless conduct, insurance fraud and criminal attempt to commit theft by deception.

These indictments stem from an incident that took place at Courson’s and his wife’s (Mandy) home located on Corey Street in Oak Ridge Subdivision on January 4, which resulted in the murder of Mandy Courson. The incident was originally reported as a home invasion resulting in a murder. Courson told investigators that two men entered the home, tied he and his wife up and pillaged the home. Local authorities arrived on the scene shortly after receiving a call from the homeowner’s security alert system provider.

A bond hearing for Jonathan Courson has been set for February 1 at 9:30 a.m.

The indictments:

Count 1 - In the name and behalf of the citizens of Georgia, charge and accuse JONATHAN KYLE COURSON with the offense of MALICE MURDER (O.C.G.A. 16-5-1) (a) for the said accused, on or about the 4th day of January, 2013, in the County aforesaid, did unlawfully, with malice aforethought, cause the death of AMANDA NICOLE COURSON, a human being, by strangling said victim with a rope, all of said act being contrary to the laws of said State, the good order, peace and dignity thereof.

Count 2 - And the Grand Jurors aforesaid, on their oaths aforesaid, in the name and behalf of the Citizens of Georgia, further charge and accuse JONATHAN KYLE COURSON with the offense of FELONY MURDER (O.C.G.A. 16-5-1) (c) for the said accused on or about the 4th day of January, 2013, in the County aforesaid, while in the commission of a felony, to wit: Aggravated Assault as alleged in Count 3 of this indictment, did cause the death of AMANDA NICOLE COURSON, a human being, all of said act being contrary to the laws of said State, the good order, peace and dignity thereof.

Count 3 - and the Grand Jurors aforesaid, on their oaths aforesaid, in the name and behalf of the Citizens of Georgia, further charge and accuse, JONATHAN KYLE COURSON with the offense of AGGRAVATED ASSAULT, for that the said accused on or about the 4th day of January, 2013, in the County aforesaid, did make an assault against the person of AMANDA NICOLE COURSON with an object which when used offensively against a person is likely to or actually does result in serious bodily injury, to wit: A rope, by placing said rope around the neck of said victim and strangling said victim, all of said act being contrary to the laws of said State, the good order, peace and dignity thereof.

Count 4 - and the Grand Jurors aforesaid, on their oaths aforesaid, in the name and behalf of the Citizens of Georgia, further charge and accuse JONATHAN KYLE COURSON with the offense of MAKING A FALSE STATEMENT (O.C.G.A. 16-10-20) for that the said accused on or about the 4th day of January, 2013, in the County aforesaid, Knowingly and willfully made a false statement to investigator Jason Carter in a murder investigation, a matter within the jurisdiction of the Appling County Sheriff?s Office, to wit: by stating to the Appling County Sheriff?s Officers that two (2) black men wearing ski masks entered his home, held him at gun point and tied him up, and said statement did involve a material matter in a murder investigation, all of said act being contrary to the laws of said State, the good order, peace and dignity thereof.

Count 5 - and the Grand Jurors aforesaid, on their oaths aforesaid, in the name and behalf of the Citizens of Georgia, further charge and accuse JONATHAN KYLE COURSON with the offense of TAMPERING WITH EVIDENCE (O.C.G.A. 16-10-94) for that the said accused on or about the 4th day of January, 2013, in the County aforesaid, with the intent to prevent the apprehension or cause the wrongful apprehension of any person or to obstruct the prosecution or defense of any person, said accused did knowingly destroy, alter, conceal, or disguise physical evidence or make, devise, prepare, or plant false evidence, to wit: said accused did remove television sets, place telephones in water, open drawers and place his home in a state of disarray for the purpose of making it appear that an armed robbery occurred, all of said act being contrary to the laws of said State, the good order, peace and dignity thereof.

Count 6 - and the Grand Jurors aforesaid, on their oaths aforesaid, in the name and behalf of the Citizens of Georgia, further charge and accuse JONATHAN KYLE COURSON with the offense of RECKLESS CONDUCT (O.C.G.A. 16-5-60) for that the said accused on or about the 4th day of January, 2013, in the County aforesaid, Did unlawfully endanger the bodily safety of his 23-month-old daughter by consciously disregarding a substantial and unjustifiable risk that his act would endanger the safety of said person, to wit: said accused did administer adult allergy medication to said twenty-three(23)-month-old child for the purpose of causing said child to sleep and said act did constitute a gross deviation from the standard care which a reasonable person would exercise in the situation, all of said act being contrary to the laws of said State, the good order, peace and dignity thereof.

Count 7 - and the Grand Jurors aforesaid, on their oaths aforesaid, in the name and behalf of the Citizens of Georgia, further charge and accuse JONATHAN KYLE COURSON with the offense of INSURANCE FRAUD (O.C.G.A. 33-1-9) for that the said accused on or about the 7th day of January, 2013, in the County aforesaid, Did knowingly and will fully make a false or fraudulent statement or representation of a material fact in the filing of a claim, to wit: said accused did contact an agent with State Farm Insurance and fraudulently represent to said agent that AMANDA NICOLE COURSON had been killed in a home invasion for the purpose of procuring or attempting to procure the payment of life insurance proceeds from said insurer, all of said act being contrary to the laws of said State, the good order, peace and dignity thereof.

Count 8 - and the Grand Jurors aforesaid, on their oaths aforesaid, in the name and behalf of the Citizens of Georgia, further charge and accuse JONATHAN KYLE COURSON with the offense of CRIMINAL ATTEMPT TO COMMIT THEFT BY DECEPTION (O.C.G.A. 16-4-1) for that the said accused on or about the 31st day of December, 2012, in the County aforesaid, with the intent to commit a theft by deception, did perform an act which constituted a substantial step toward the commission of said crime, to wit: said accused did procure a life insurance policy on his wife, AMANDA NICOLE COURSON, naming himself as the beneficiary thereof, with the intention of obtaining the proceeds of said policy by deceitful means, to wit: by causing the death of his wife and making it appear to be a murder committed during a home invasion, with the intent to make a fraudulent insurance claim to New York Life Insurance, all of said being contrary to the laws of said State, the good order, peace, and dignity thereof.

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